Devonte' Graham missed a ton of shots early, heated up from up top, and did hit one of the deep shots worth three-points.

Up third was Duncan Robinson. He struggled, but did heat up during later racks, and got 19.

Devin Booker up fourth. He needs at least 15 to avoid elimination. And although he mostly traded makes with misses, he hit both of the two deep shots that are worth three each, and finished with 27.

Fifth is Buddy Hield. Solid start. Stayed solid. Missed the two deep shots. But was strong all the way through, getting 27, which ties Booker.

Now up is Davis Bertans. He hit the first deep three, then went wild at the right wing, and stayed hot to end it, for 26.

Seventh was Zach Lavine. Who was solid, and got 23. But this is a tough three-point contest field.

Last up was Joe Harris, who needs 26 to avoid elimination. That's quite a high number. But Harris gets buckets. Usually. Today, he fell short, with 22.

SECOND ROUND

The second round Three-point shooters will be Hield, Booker and Bertans.

Up first is Bertans, who looked completely unsurprised by his success in the first round. But after a modest start, he nailed the first deep three, missed the second, got hot on the money rack, but overall didn't stand out, finishing with just 20.

Booker shot second. He was solid but on-and-off, but mostly strong, getting 26.

Up last, needing 26 for the tie or 27 for the win, Hield was perfect from the right wing, very good from the top of th ekey and left wing, and it came down to the final shot. A moneyball. A miss, and Booker would have won the contest. But Hield's final shot of the competition hit nothing but net, totalling 27 points for Hield, and the 2020 NBA Three-point contest championship.

ESPN.com reports: "Hield and Phoenix Suns guard Booker each went for 27 points in the first round, followed by Davis Bertans of the Washington Wizards with 26, to make up the three finalists. Then Booker rattled off another 26, setting a high bar for Hield to clear. The Bahamian sharpshooter managed to do just that. Needing to make four of five in his final rack to win it, Hield made the first three, then missed the fourth, setting up a winner-take-all final shot. With Booker out of his seat in anticipation, Hield buried the shot, allowing him to win the contest by the slimmest of margins."

Defending champion Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets and NBA All-Stars Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks will participate in the 2020 3-Point Contest on Saturday, Feb. 15 during NBA All-Star Weekend at the United Center in Chicago.

The eight-player field for the two-round, timed shooting competition also includes Davis Bertans of the Washington Wizards, Devonte’ Graham of the Charlotte Hornets, Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings, Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls and Duncan Robinson of the Miami Heat.

The 34th 3-Point Contest is part of State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night, which also features the Skills Challenge and Slam Dunk contest. All-Star Saturday Night will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States at 8 p.m. ET. NBA All-Star 2020 will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.

The 2020 3-Point Contest features a new look with the addition of two shots in the “ Zone” – two locations positioned equidistant between the traditional racks at the top of the 3-point arc and the adjacent “wing” rack. Each of the two ball pedestals in the Zone is located 6 feet behind the 3-point line and holds one special green ball, the “3-Ball.” Shots made with the green ball are worth three points.

In addition to the two new shots, the 3-Point Contest will continue to have five main shooting locations – four racks containing four official NBA game balls (each worth one point) and one multicolored “money” ball (worth two points) as well as one special “all money ball” rack. Every ball on the all money ball rack, which each participant can place at any of the five traditional shooting locations, is worth two points.

With the addition of the Zone, the number of balls in a round has increased to 27 from 25, the amount of time in a round has expanded to 70 seconds (1:10) from 60 seconds (1:00) and the maximum possible score in a round has risen to 40 points from 34 points. The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round. The player with the highest score in the championship round is the winner of the 2020 3-Point Contest. Click here for a complete explanation of the rules.

Here is a closer look at the 2020 NBA Three-Point Contest participants:

• Davis Bertans, Wizards (1st appearance): In his first season with Washington, the 6-10 forward from Latvia is fourth in the NBA in 3-pointers made per game (3.6) and leads the league in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers made per game (3.1). Bertans is shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks 10th in the NBA and is identical to his full-season mark with the San Antonio Spurs last season.

• Devonte’ Graham, Hornets (1st appearance): Playing his second NBA season, Graham ranks fourth in the league in 3-pointers made with 176. He was selected to play for the U.S. Team in NBA Rising Stars on Friday, Feb. 14 during NBA All-Star 2020 in Chicago.

• Joe Harris, Nets (2nd appearance): Last year, Harris became the second NBA G League veteran to win the 3-Point Contest, joining 2009 champion Daequan Cook. Harris, who led the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage last season, is shooting better than 40.0 percent from beyond the arc (40.5) for the third consecutive season.

• Buddy Hield, Kings (2nd appearance): Hield was one of three players to reach the final round in the 2019 3-Point Contest, along with Harris and the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry. In his fourth NBA season, Hield has made the third-most 3-pointers in the league with 186.

• Zach LaVine, Bulls (1st appearance): LaVine has already set a career high for 3-pointers made in a season with 154. A two-time AT&T Slam Dunk champion (2015 and 2016), LaVine is seeking to become the first player to win both the Slam Dunk and the 3-Point Contest.

• Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers (3rd appearance): Lillard, who earned his fifth NBA All-Star selection this season, ranks third in the NBA in scoring (29.8 ppg) and second in 3-pointers made (192). In his last six games, Lillard has averaged 48.8 points and 8.2 3-pointers made per game and shot 57.0 percent from beyond the arc.

• Duncan Robinson, Heat (1st appearance): The undrafted Robinson ranks fifth in the NBA in 3-pointers made (165) and sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (43.9) in his second season. An NBA G League veteran, Robinson tied a Miami franchise record by making 10 3-pointers against Atlanta on Dec. 10.

• Trae Young, Hawks (1st appearance): The NBA’s fifth-leading scorer (29.2 ppg) has made the same number of 3-pointers in 46 games this season as he did in 81 games last season (156). In his second season, Young was named a starter for the NBA All-Star Game and a participant for the U.S. Team in NBA Rising Stars.

--------------------------------------------

2019 NBA THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT RESULTS

"In a stunner, Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris outdueled Stephen Curry in the final round to become the first Net to win Saturday’s All-Star Weekend 3-point shooting contest. In the championship round, Harris, in his fifth season after taking a roller-coaster ride to a solid role on the Nets, scored a 27, hitting his last 7 3-balls at the stunned Spectrum Center." -- NY Post

"Damian Lillard's second attempt at the 3-Point Contest probably didn't go as planned. The Blazers All-Star, who previously scored 18 points in the 3-point shootout in 2014, scored one basket less in his second appearance. He finished with 17 points, one of which was an insane buzzer beater (but did you really expect anything less?) and failed to advance to the second round. " -- NBC Sports Northwest

"Nowitzki finished with 17 points, which tied him for sixth place with Portland's Damian Lillard in a field of 10 competitors. " -- Dallas Morning News

2019 NBA THREE-POINT CONTEST PREVIEW

Defending champion Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns and former champions Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks will participate in the 2019 NBA 3-Point Shootout Contest on Saturday, Feb. 16 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina as part of 2019 NBA All-Star weekend.

The 33rd NBA 3-Point Contest is part of All-Star Saturday Night, which also features the Skills Challenge and Slam Dunk contests. All-Star Saturday Night will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States at 8 p.m. ET.

Expanding to 10 players this year, the NBA 3-Point Contest field includes 2019 NBA All-Stars Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks and Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets as well as Seth Curry of the Portland Trail Blazers, Danny Green of the Toronto Raptors, Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets and Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings.

The two-round competition features:

- Two winners of the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (Stephen Curry and Nowitzki)

- The two players who have made the most three-pointers in an NBA Finals series (No. 1 Stephen Curry and No. 2 Green)

- Four of the current top five in three-point field goal percentage this season (Seth Curry, Stephen Curry, Harris and Hield)

- Three of the current top five in three-pointers made this season (Stephen Curry, Hield and Walker).

Here is a closer look at the NBA 3-Point Contest participants:

• Devin Booker, Suns (3rd appearance): In addition to winning last year’s 3-Point Contest with a record 28-point final round, Booker reached the final round of the 2016 event as a rookie. On Jan. 24, the 22-year-old guard became the fifth-youngest player in NBA history to score 5,000 career points.

• Seth Curry, Trail Blazers (1st appearance): In his first season with Portland, the younger Curry brother is shooting an NBA-high 48.5 percent from three-point range. Seth, who attended Charlotte Christian School and finished his college career at Duke, was an NBA G League All-Star in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

• Stephen Curry, Warriors (6th appearance): An NBA All-Star Game starter for the sixth consecutive year, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player ranks third on the all-time list for three-pointers made (2,344). With 215 three-pointers this season, he has become the first player in NBA history to make at least 200 threes in seven straight seasons. Stephen starred at Charlotte Christian School and Davidson College near Charlotte.

• Danny Green, Raptors (1st appearance): Green, who is shooting 42.0 percent from three-point range this season, shares the record for most three-pointers made without a miss in an NBA Finals game (five). He played four years at the University of North Carolina and won a national championship in the 2008-09 season.

• Joe Harris, Nets (1st appearance): A full-time NBA starter for the first time in his five seasons, Harris ranks fourth in the league in three-point field goal percentage (45.3) while averaging a career-high 13.3 points.

• Buddy Hield, Kings (1st appearance): The Bahamian guard ranks third in the NBA in three-point field percentage (45.9) and fourth in three-pointers made (183) while averaging a career-high 20.4 points in his third season.

• Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers (2nd appearance): Lillard has made a three-pointer in 60 consecutive regular-season games, the longest active streak in the NBA. An NBA All-Star for the fourth time, Lillard set a Portland team record with 10 three-pointers against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 28.

• Khris Middleton, Bucks (2nd appearance): The first-time NBA All-Star is averaging a career-high 2.3 three-pointers made per game. He is the first player to play in the NBA G League before becoming an NBA All-Star.

• Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks (6th appearance): This marks the first 3-Point Contest appearance in 11 years for Nowitzki, who made his event debut in 2000 and was crowned champion in 2006. He ranks 11th on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers made list (1,935). Playing his record-tying 21st NBA season, Nowitzki was selected by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to play in the 2019 All-Star Game as a special roster addition.

• Kemba Walker, Hornets (2nd appearance): Walker has made the fifth-most three-pointers in the NBA this season (165). The Hornets’ franchise leader in points and three-pointers made has been selected to his third All-Star Game in a row and named a starter for the first time.

2019 NBA 3-Point Shootout Contest Rules

The 3-Point Contest is a two-round, timed competition. Five shooting locations are positioned around the three-point arc. Four racks contain four NBA regulation balls (each worth one point) and one multicolored “money” ball (worth two points). The fifth rack is a special “all money ball” rack, which each participant can place at any of the five locations. Every ball on this rack is worth two points.

The players have one minute to shoot as many of the 25 balls as they can. The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round. The player with the highest score in the championship round is the winner. Click here for a complete explanation of the rules.

Eric Gordon had just five points through the first three racks, hitting just one shot on his money ball rack. He made four of five shots on the final rack, finishing with 12 points, but needed to have at least 18 points to join Tobias Harris, Klay Thompson and Devin Booker in the championship round. From there. Booker dominated, hitting eight of nine money balls and 20 of 25 shots overall to finish with 28 points and take the championship with a record-setting performance. -- Houston Chronicle

Bradley Beal couldn’t miss in his closed practice shooting sessions. However, when the Washington Wizards guard hit the Staples Center stage Saturday night for the Three-Point Shootout, Beal’s touch deserted him in the spotlight. Beal finished with 15 points in the first round, not enough to advance to the top three. Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker won the contest, sizzling with an all-time high of 28 to defeat Golden State’s Klay Thompson, a former champion in the event. -- Washington Post

Tobias Harris started the Three-Point Contest in grand fashion, knocking down 18 threes in the first round, advancing the Clippers forward to the championship round Saturday night at Staples Center. But once he arrived in the final, Harris could not overcome the hot shooting of Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, who won the contest with a record-setting round of 28 points. -- LA Times

Golden State guard Klay Thompson, the local product who attended Santa Margarita Catholic High and won the event in 2016, came in second place with 25 points. Harris, the only big man in the contest, came in third with 17 points. -- LA Times

Booker made 20 of 25 three-pointers in the final to establish a record for points in a round, one more than Stephen Curry had in the 2015 final round and Thompson had in 2016. -- LA Times

Devin Booker Interview Quotes After Winning 2018 Three-Point Contest

Q. Rookie season you told the fans you were going
to come back here and win this and bring the
trophy home to Phoenix. You're a man of your
word and you did it. So your thoughts on that?

DEVIN BOOKER: I'm really excited about it. I always
said I always want to represent the city the best I can,
with the support they always show for me since day
one. So season not going how we planned, but I know a lot
of the city was ready for this All-Star Weekend, having
somebody participate. So I'm glad I could win it.

Q. You talked about having a different approach to
this year's three-point contest in terms of your
preparation. Obviously it worked well in your
favor?

DEVIN BOOKER: Yeah, my preparation was none. My
rookie year I stayed at the gym extra, shot off the rack
a lot more. This time I just got here, practiced right
before I went out there and ended up coming out with
the win.

Q. When you hit the floor, did you know? Did you
have the mindset this was coming home with you
tonight?

DEVIN BOOKER: I had that mindset until the first
round. I thought I was going to be out, but it's a
wildcard with that rack, honestly. It's hard to shoot off
the rack, as you can see. These guys are much better
shooters than we all shot today. So the rack's difficult,
but ended up coming out with the big win.

Q. Just overall thoughts, feel really good?

DEVIN BOOKER: I feel really good, really excited. Like
I said, after I took third my rookie year, something I
always wanted was to win the three-point
championship, and I got to do it.

Q. This is another accomplishment in your career,
which is just starting. How do you take this victory
going forward for the season and for your career?

DEVIN BOOKER: Like I said earlier, our season hasn't
been the brightest part of our year, obviously. So I
know the fans have been behind us 100% throughout
the whole time. So I know they're going to be excited
about this, get to bring home three-point championships since I think they told me 2004-2005,
so it's kind of a big deal.

Q. Now you've got a champion of the three-point
game. Do you have any other personal goals for
the rest of the season?

DEVIN BOOKER: Yeah, I'm going dunk contest next.
No, I'm just kidding. No, you know, obviously, hopefully
I can come back and maybe win it again. But for me
All-Star Weekend is a good time to get away from the
season. Now it's time to lock back in, get ready for the
season, and finish out the year strong.

Q. I know you're an excellent scorer. Do you
always consider yourself an elite three-point
shooter?

DEVIN BOOKER: I always -- people used to always
say I was just a shooter. When I was in college, that's
really all I did was spot up shots. Once I got to the
NBA, I adjusted and showed a little bit more than
people said, I was a scorer that could shoot. But I like
to think of myself as a an elite shooter for sure.

Q. I just got a text that says this was an event
record in the championship round, your 28 points.
You're setting records all over the place. Is this
just another one on your belt?

DEVIN BOOKER: I mean, it's a big deal, I'd say,
knowing the history of the three-point shootout, all the
legends of the game that have been in it from Peja
Stojakovic, Larry Bird. I'm glad my name can be
mentioned with those guys. But like I said, I'm happy
to get the win.

Q. You just mentioned some of the legends that
have been associated with this award, with this
competition. To know that you're bringing that part
of the legacy back to Phoenix, a city that's
obviously had some ups and downs with the Suns
team this year, what does that mean to you?

DEVIN BOOKER: It means a lot. Like I said, it's been
unconditional love since day one since I've been in
Phoenix. Obviously, all three years I've been in the
NBA we haven't exceeded the expectations that we've
set for ourselves. So, like I said, I know people are looking forward to
this. All throughout the city people are wishing me luck
throughout the week. Everybody hit me today, all the training staff, coaches, everybody texted me today
wishing me good luck. I'm excited I got the win.

Q. Can you explain just the difficulty involved in
just shooting in that format, one after another?

DEVIN BOOKER: Not only shooting one after another,
just shooting off the rack, I'd say that's the wildcard.
We take thousands of jumpers a year, and we never
shoot off the rack.
So I said it before the competition, you know, we
should change the three-point shootout to have
somebody pass for you. I think it would throw a twist in
the game. It would be kind of like the Home Run Derby
with a pick who pitches to you, but someone to pass to,
I think it would be a good look.

Defending champion Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets and 2016 winner Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors will showcase their shooting skills in the 2018 NBA Three-Point Contest on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Thompson is one of four 2018 NBA All-Stars in the competition, along with the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Paul George and the Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry. The eight-player field also features the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker, the Miami Heat’s Wayne Ellington and the LA Clippers’ Tobias Harris.

The 32nd NBA Three-Point Contest is part of All-Star Saturday Night, which will air on TNT and ESPN Radio at 8 p.m. ET. All-Star Saturday Night also includes the Skills Challenge and the Slam Dunk contest.

2018 NBA Three-Point Contest Participants

Bradley Beal, Wizards: A first-time All-Star in his sixth season, Beal is 14th in the NBA in three-pointers made (123) after finishing seventh in that category last season (223). He also ranks 14th in scoring average with a career-high 23.8 points per game.

Devin Booker, Suns: Booker reached the final round of the 2016 JBL Three-Point Contest as a rookie. This season, the NBA’s 12th-leading scorer (24.4 ppg) is making 2.6 three-pointers per game and shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc, both the best of his three-year career.

Wayne Ellington, Heat: In his ninth season, Ellington ranks fourth in the NBA in three-pointers made with a career-high 153. He is averaging a career-high 11.2 points.

Paul George, Thunder: The five-time All-Star (21.3 ppg) is shooting a career-high 42.3 percent from three-point range and ranks fifth in the NBA in three-pointers made with 150. George connected on a record nine three-pointers and scored 41 points in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game.

Eric Gordon, Rockets: Gordon won the 2017 JBL Three-Point Contest in his competition debut, edging Kyrie Irving in a tiebreaker after they posted the same score in the final round. The 2016-17 Kia NBA Sixth Man Award winner, Gordon has made the sixth-most three-pointers in the NBA this season (146) while averaging 19.1 points.

Tobias Harris, Clippers: The seven-year veteran has already surpassed his career high for three-pointers in a season, sinking 113 at a career-high 40.9 percent clip. Harris, who was acquired by the Clippers in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 29, is averaging a career-high 18.1 points.

Kyle Lowry, Raptors: Lowry is set for his fourth straight NBA All-Star Game and third consecutive appearance in the Three-Point Contest. In addition to having the eighth-most three-pointers in the NBA (133), Lowry is one of four players averaging at least 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists (LeBron James, Ben Simmons and Russell Westbrook).

Klay Thompson, Warriors: The 2016 Three-Point Contest champion will appear in this event and the NBA All-Star Game for the fourth consecutive year. Thompson (20.3 ppg) leads the NBA in three-point field goal percentage (45.4) and ranks second in threes made (164).

2018 NBA Three-Point Contest Rules

The 2018 NBA Three-Point Contest is a two-round, timed competition. Five shooting locations are positioned around the three-point arc. Four racks contain four NBA regulation balls (each worth one point) and one multicolored “money” ball (worth two points). The fifth rack is a special “all money ball” rack, which each participant can place at any of the five locations. Every ball on this rack is worth two points.

The players have one minute to shoot as many of the 25 balls as they can. The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round.

The 3-point shootingest team in NBA history has its first 3-point shooting champion.
Eric Gordon had to work overtime. He had to overcome the distraction of James Harden's fishing lure shiny jacket. He even had to tune out the smattering of boos around Smoothie King Arena, where he played for five seasons before he escaped the "dysfunction" to join the Rockets.... Gordon defeated Cleveland's Kyrie Irving in the overtime shootout, fittingly defeating a player that grabbed headlines with a flat Earth theory in a game of 'around the world.' -- Houston Chronicle

Gordon, Irving and Kemba Walker advanced to the second round, with defending champion Klay Thompson eliminated when he missed his final shot. Gordon, by virtue of his top opening round score, went last. After making three shots on his money ball rack and all five shots on his fourth rack, he needed to make just two of his final five shots to win. He made just one, sending the competition to overtime with both shooters battling fatigue. -- Houston Chronicle

Klay Thompson went eighth among the eight shooters on Saturday night in New Orleans, the enviable closing spot reserved for the defending champ. He walked out knowing he’d need at least 19 points to advance to the finals. He started hot. But Thompson couldn’t keep it going, missing a trio of money balls on the final rack and finishing with 18, a point short, meaning first-round elimination. “It feels like a bad loss during the season,” Thompson said. -- Bay Area News Group

2017 NBA THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT PREVIEW

Defending champion Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors and 2013 winner Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers lead the list of four NBA All-Stars who will showcase their shooting range in the 2017 NBA Three-Point Contest on Saturday, February 18 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisana.

The eight-player 3-Point Shootout field also features 2017 All-Stars Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors and Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets, as well as Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets, Wesley Matthews of the Dallas Mavericks, CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers and Nick Young of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The NBA Three-Point Shootout Contest is part of All-Star Saturday Night, which will be televised by TNT at 8 p.m. ET.

Each participant ranks in the NBA’s top 20 in three-pointers made this season, including seven of the top 12. Thompson, an All-Star selection for the third consecutive season, ranks fifth in that category with 149. He connected on eight three-pointers on his way to a career-high 60 points against the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 5, the NBA’s highest-scoring game in 2016-17. Last season, the 6-7 guard sank 276 three-pointers, the third-highest total in league history.

The other three 2017 All-Stars in the field are from the Eastern Conference. Irving, voted a starter for the All-Star Game, is averaging career highs of 2.4 three-pointers and 24.2 points per game this season. Lowry, who competed in the 2016 Three-Point Contest, is third in the NBA in three-pointers made (162), seventh in three-point field goal percentage (42.7) and 15th in scoring (23.3 ppg). Walker (22.9 ppg), a first-time All-Star, is shooting a career-high 40.2 percent from long distance and is on pace for his first season with at least 200 three-pointers made.

Gordon and Young join Walker as first-time competitors in the Three-Point Contest. In his first season with the Rockets, Gordon ranks second in the NBA in three-pointers made with 170, which is already a career high. Young has 128 three-pointers in 2016-17, which is only seven fewer than his single-season career high of 135, and the Lakers’ guard/forward is ninth in the NBA in three-point field goal accuracy with a career-high mark of 42.4 percent.

Matthews (2015 participant) and McCollum (2016 participant) return for their second appearances in the NBA Three-Point Contest. With 129 three-pointers made in 2016-17 (10th in the NBA), Matthews is now the only player to hit at least 125 in each of seven straight seasons from 2010-17. McCollum, the 2015-16 Kia NBA Most Improved Player, is 14th in the NBA in scoring (23.4 ppg) and tied for 10th in three-point field goal percentage (42.3).

The NBA Three-Point Contest is a two-round, timed competition in which five shooting locations are positioned around the three-point arc. Four racks contain four orange balls (each worth one point) and one multicolored “money” ball (worth two points). The fifth rack is a special “all money ball” rack, which each participant can place at any of the five shooting locations. Every ball on this rack is worth two points.

The players have one minute to shoot as many as the 25 balls as they can. The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: Klay Thompson’s father said he couldn’t come home if the Warriors’ guard didn’t beat backcourt mate Stephen Curry in Saturday’s three-point competition.
“I would have taken him home if I would have won,” Curry said. “We would have figured that out. That wasn’t a worry. I tried my hardest.”
Thompson had the high score in both rounds, setting the pace with 22 points in the initial field of eight. He claimed the title with a 27 in the three-man final, which probably ended Curry’s run of participation in the showcase event.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: Curry made eight in a row to start the championship round and connected on 6 of 9 two-point moneyballs for a score of 23. But Thompson made 8 of 9 moneyballs to keep Curry from joining a list of multiple winners that includes Craig Hodges, Mark Price, Jeff Hornacek, Peja Stojakovic and Jason Kapono. Suns rookie Devin Booker (16) was third.

ESPN.com reports: With a final-round score of 27, Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson defeated fellow "Splash Brother" and defending champion Stephen Curry and Phoenix Suns rookie Devin Booker to win the 3-point contest at NBA All-Star Saturday night in Toronto. Booker got his spot after beating the Houston Rockets' James Harden and J.J. Redick of the Los Angeles Clippers in a tiebreaker round. Those three all finished with 20 points, and then Booker won the tiebreaker with 12 more points over Redick (nine) and Harden (eight). The Toronto Raptors' Kyle Lowry (15), Portland Trail Blazers' C.J. McCollum (14) and Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton (13) were eliminated before the tiebreaker.

2016 NBA THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT PREVIEW INFO

Defending champion Stephen Curry and Golden State Warriors teammate Klay Thompson lead a list of five NBA All-Stars who will showcase their shooting range in the 2016 NBA Three-Point Contest on Saturday, Feb. 13 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

The eight-player field also features 2016 All-Stars Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, as well as Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks and J.J. Redick of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Curry, the NBA’s top scorer (29.8 ppg), has led the league in three-pointers made in each of the last three seasons and is setting the pace again this season. He has hit 232 threes during the Warriors’ 45-4 start, becoming the first player in NBA history to sink 200 in four consecutive seasons and putting him on track to shatter his own NBA record of 286 set last season. The 2014-15 NBA Most Valuable Player, an All-Star starter for the third straight year, will be competing in his fifth NBA Three-Point Contest.

Thompson returns for his second NBA Three-Point Contest after reaching the championship round last year. He ranks second in the NBA with 155 three-pointers made, as he closes in on matching Curry with his fourth consecutive season of at least 200 triples. Thompson, an All-Star for the second year in a row, is averaging 21.5 points and shooting better than 40 percent from deep for the fifth straight year.

Harden, the NBA’s second-leading scorer (27.9 ppg), is also competing for the second year in a row. The four-time All-Star is third in the NBA in three-pointers made (140) and second to Curry in attempts (401). On Jan. 20, Harden became the youngest player (26 years, 147 days) to reach 1,000 career threes made.

The other two 2016 All-Stars in the field are from the Eastern Conference. Bosh, an All-Star for the 11th consecutive year, leads the Heat in three-pointers made with a career-high 78. Lowry, representing the hometown Raptors and starting in the All-Star Game for the second year in a row, is shooting a career-high 38.8 percent from beyond the arc and ranks fourth in the NBA in three-pointers made (135) and fifth in attempts (348).

Booker is the first rookie to compete in the NBA Locker Three-Point Contest since Curry in 2010. The 19-year-old Suns guard leads all rookies in three-point field goal percentage (41.8, 12th in the NBA). On Jan. 19, Booker set a franchise rookie record with six three-pointers and scored a career-high 32 points against the Indiana Pacers. He also hit six threes against the Raptors on Feb. 2, finishing with 27 points.

Middleton and Redick are both having strong shooting seasons. Middleton is connecting on 41.2 percent from three-point range, helping him average a career-high 17.6 points. Redick (16.0 ppg) is converting an NBA-high 48.2 percent of his threes. On Jan. 18, Redick equaled a Clippers record with nine three-pointers as part of a career-high 40-point performance against Houston.

In the two-round, timed competition, five shooting locations are positioned around the three-point arc. Four racks contain four orange balls (each worth one point) and one multi-colored “money” ball (worth two points). The fifth rack is a special “all money ball” rack, which each participant can place at any of the five shooting locations. Every ball on this rack is worth two points. The players have one minute to shoot as many as the 25 balls as they can. The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round.

------------------------------------

2015 NBA THREE-POINT CONTEST
February 14, 2015

Here's a live, unedited look at this year's contest:

Wesley Matthews went wild in the end and got 22 points. JJ Redick had 16. James Harden struggled especially towards the end, and got 15. Kyrie Irving got off to a great start, and then heated up at the end for a fantastic 23 points. Stephen Curry went next, and put up a fantastic 23. Klay Thompson then unleashed 24. Kyle Korver did fine, but not by tonight's legendary standards, getting 18. Defending champion Marco Belinelli went last, getting 18.

So the three best shooters in round one were Klay, Kyrie and Steph. They reach the championship round.

Kyrie went first in the finals, missed all five shots from the top of the key, ran out of time before getting all his shots up, and finished with just 17.

Curry started strong, stayed strong, got even stronger, and finished with an incredible 27.

Last to go in the championship round was Klay, who rocked the first rack, but then struggled badly. Very badly.

Your 2015 NBA three-point shooting contest champion is Steph Curry.

Curry made 20 of 25 shots in the final round, including seven two-point money balls, to knock off teammate Klay Thompson and 2013 winner Kyrie Irving of Cleveland. Players eliminated in the first round were San Antonio’s Marco Belinelli, last year’s champion; Atlanta’s Kyle Korver, who had made more than half of his three-point attempts this season; Houston’s James Harden; Portland’s Wesley Matthews; and the Los Angeles Clippers’ J.J. Redick. The Warriors’ point guard made 13 straight before missing his final shot, and his 27 points beat the 25 put up in 2008 by Jason Kapono, who just happened to be on the Warriors’ training camp roster this season. -- San Francisco Chronicle

2015 NBA THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT INTRO

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, the record-setting duo known as the “Splash Brothers” for their long-distance prowess, fellow All-Stars James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the player on pace for a historic shooting season, Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks, will showcase their range in the 2015 NBA Three-Point Contest on Saturday, Feb. 14, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The eight-player field also features defending champion Marco Belinelli of the San Antonio Spurs, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Wesley Matthews and the Los Angeles Clippers’ J.J. Redick.

The NBA Three-Point Contest is part of All-Star Saturday Night, which will be exclusively televised by TNT.

Curry, the top vote-getter in NBA All-Star Balloting 2015, became the fastest player to hit 1,000 three-point field goals in NBA history when, on Jan. 8, he accomplished the feat in his 369th game. He drilled 10 three-pointers in a season-high 51-point performance against the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 4, becoming the second player in league history (along with J.R. Smith) to have multiple games of at least 10 threes. The sixth-year guard will be competing in his fourth Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, and he’ll also participate in the Degree Shooting Stars during All-Star Saturday Night.

Thompson, a first-time All-Star, set an NBA record for most points in a quarter on Jan. 23 against the Sacramento Kings, piling up 37 in the third period of a career-high 52-point barrage that included 11 three-pointers and a league-record nine in one quarter. Curry and Thompson are the only teammates ever to combine for 400 three-pointers in back-to-back seasons.

Harden, the league’s leading scorer (27 points per game) and the NBA Western Conference Player of the Month for both December and January, ranks fifth in both three-pointers made (130) and attempted (336). The All-Star quartet is rounded out by Irving, the 2013 Foot Locker Three-Point Contest winner. Irving sank a Cavs-record 11 three-pointers during a career-high 55-point outburst against Portland on Jan. 28, a performance that helped him earn NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors.

Korver leads the NBA in three-point accuracy at 53.2 percent, and his 53.6 percent shooting through 41 games was the highest mark in league history at the halfway point of the season. Set to make his third appearance in the NBA Three-Point Contest and first since 2005, Korver is on track to become the first player among qualifiers ever to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc and 90 percent from the free throw line.

Belinelli will defend the crown he won by defeating Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal in New Orleans in 2014. Matthews leads the NBA in three-pointers made (151) and attempted (376). The Clippers’ Redick is enjoying a career year from deep, connecting on 43.2 percent and threatening to shatter his previous high of 165 triples in a season (he is currently at 114).

In the two-round competition, five shooting locations are positioned around the three-point arc. Four of the racks contain four orange balls (each worth one point) and one multi-colored “money” ball (worth two points). The fifth rack will be a special “all money ball” rack, which each participant can place at any of the five shooting locations. Every ball on this rack will be worth two points. The players have one minute to shoot as many as the 25 balls as they can. The three competitors with the highest scores in the first round advance to the championship round. Complete rules can be found at mediacentral.nba.com.

InsideHoops.com 2015 NBA Three-Point Shootout Prediction: This is the best collection of players to participate in the NBA 3-point shootout in modern history. Maybe ever. An amazing group. Our favorites, in no particular order, are Marco Belinelli, Stephen Curry, Kyle Korver, JJ Redick and Klay Thompson. That's right; we just named the majority of the participants. Which isn't much of a prediction. And the guys we didn't mention have just as good a shot at this thing. What we're saying is, it's pointless to predict a winner. Anybody can take it. Which is why this is the most anticipated NBA Three-Point contest since, perhaps, the days of Larry Bird.

Below is the lineup for the 2015 NBA Three-Point Shootout and a list of previous winners:

San Antonio’s Marco Belinelli won the 3-point contest at NBA All-Star Saturday night.
The Italian, who previously played for New Orleans, needed to win a tiebreaker round in the final to beat Bradley Beal. The Washington All-Star had made his final six shots, including two “money balls” worth two points each, to tie Belinelli’s initial final-round score of 19.
Belinelli then racked up an event-high score of 24 for the win. -- Associated Press

Timberwolves star Kevin Love’s night ended nearly before it started in the NBA’s All-Star Saturday three-point contest. The 2012 champion who didn’t defend his title last year because of his twice-broken shooting hand, Love shot first out of eight participants. He was finished nearly right away in a reformatted contest when he scored 16 points of a possible 34 and Portland’s Damian Lillard went next and surpassed him. That knocked Love out of the contest in which one West player and one East player advanced to the final. He hardly had a chance to warm up, and it was all over. -- Minneapolis Star Tribune

“I was saying in the locker room that I didn’t want to shoot first,” said Love, who did so because of alphabetical order by city and because West team captain Stephen Curry was chosen to shoot last for his conference. “The whole time, I said, ‘Don’t put me first, don’t put me first, don’t put me first.’ What do I do? I look up there and the West is shooting first and I’m shooting first.” -- Minneapolis Star Tribune

Former Warriors draft pick Marco Belinelli, now with San Antonio, won the West, finishing with 19 points. Belinelli then won the overall championship, outshooting Eastern Conference winner Bradley Beal, 24-18. Belinelli defeated not only Curry in the first round but also Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, who finished with 18, and Timberwolves forward Kevin Love who scored 16. -- CSN Bay Area

Joe Johnson’s slow and methodical approach on the court didn’t translate very well in Saturday night’s 3-point Shootout. The Brooklyn Nets’ All-Star guard took too much time on his shots and didn’t finish all of his racks, scoring just 11 points. -- ESPN NY

2014 NBA THREE-POINT CONTEST INTRO

NBA All-Stars Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Joe Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers and Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves headline the field of participants for the Three-Point Contest (#FootLockerThree) taking place during State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night (#StateFarmSaturday) at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Saturday, Feb. 15. The Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal, who will also be participating in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars challenge, Marco Belinelli of the San Antonio Spurs and Arron Afflalo of the Orlando Magic complete the field.

State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will be exclusively televised on TNT. The event also will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio and will collectively reach fans in 215 countries and territories in more than 47 languages.

Lillard, the 2012-13 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, also is participating in the Taco Bells Skills Challenge and Sprite Slam Dunk, becoming the first player to appear in three events during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night. He also is participating in the 2014 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge to be played Feb. 14, and the 2014 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 16.

For the second consecutive year, the Eastern and Western conferences will compete during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night in an evening of challenges that will raise money for charity. NBA Cares and State Farm will make a joint donation of $500,000 as part of the event, with $100,000 awarded to each event’s winning conference’s charities and $25,000 going to the charities of the runner-up for each event. The Eastern Conference will be playing for the American Heart Association and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF while the Western Conference will compete for Teach for America and Wounded Warrior Project®. All-Stars Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and George, winner of the 2012-13 Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award, will serve as captains of the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively. The charities were selected by George and Curry, the NBA, and State Farm.

The NBA’s best from behind the arc will take part in the Three-Point Contest, with the eight players competing in a two-round competition. Each player will have one minute to shoot as many balls as he can. The highest scoring East and highest scoring West competitors from the First Round will advance to the Championship Round. Of the two finalists, the one with the lower individual score from the First Round will go first in the Championship Round. The player scoring the most points in the Championship Round will win the 2014 Three-Point Contest for his conference along with $100,000 for their Conference’s charities.

Five shooting stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four Official Spalding NBA game balls worth one point each and one Spalding NBA All-Star 2014 commemorative “money ball” worth two points at each location. New to this year’s contest, each player will also be able to switch one of the five shooting locations to a full rack of five “money balls,” each of which will be worth two points. This innovative element was first implemented in the 2009 NBA Development League All-Star Three-Point competition as part of D-League Dream Factory presented by Boost Mobile.

Irving, who will play in his first All-Star game on Sunday, started 7 for 7 in the final round and finished with 23 points - two shy of the record shared by Craig Hodges and Jason Kapono. Bonner finished with 20 points in the final round.

-- Associated Press

Irving pulled a mild upset of Knicks forward Steve Novak in the opening round. Novak, third in 3-point shooting (.447), could not surpass Irving after Irving posted an 18 as the first contestant representing the East.

Novak posted a 17. Pacers forward Paul George brought up the rear for the East with a 10. Bonner edged Hornets forward Ryan Anderson (18) and Warriors guard Stephan Curry (17) to advance from the West.

Irving ended all suspense with his torrid shooting in the final, making his first seven shots before missing the third ball on the second rack. He followed with 10 consecutive 3-pointers to set the stage for Sunday.

-- Sports Exchange

Novak, who popularized the Discount Triple Check, was the last contestant to go in the All-Star 3-point shootout, but he failed to reach the finals. While Novak only missed one money ball (worth two points), finishing with 17 points in the first round, Cleveland's Kyrie Irving had 18 to face off with San Antonio's Matt Bonner. -- ESPN NY

"Last year, it was kind of a star-struck moment,'' Anderson said. "This year, it was more of a fun thing, an incredible honor.When I practicing, the top rack and that last rack gave me the most problems. I felt like I was in a rhythm with all of the other ones. It was a fun competition. That’s what it’s all about, at least I had a respectable score.'' -- New Orleans Times-Picayune

INTRO TO 2013 NBA THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT

First-time All-Stars Paul George of the Indiana Pacers and Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers headline the field for the 2013 NBA Three-Point Shootout, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Toyota Center in Houston as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Rounding out the field are Ryan Anderson of the New Orleans Hornets, Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Steve Novak of the New York Knicks.

Anderson is the lone returning three-point marksman from last year’s event, won by the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Love in a tiebreaker round over the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant. Love is currently on the injured list, recovering from a broken hand sustained on Jan. 3, and is unable to defend his title.

For the first time, NBA All-Star Saturday Night will feature a new format that pits the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference in a night of competition that will raise money for charity. As part of the new format, points earned by each conference throughout the four All-Star Skills Competitions will determine the conference that earns the title of 2013 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night Champion.

Three players representing the Western Conference and three players representing the Eastern Conference will compete in the two-round competition. The highest scoring East and highest scoring West competitors from the Team Round will advance to the Championship Round.

Five shooting stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four Official Spalding NBA game balls worth one point each and one Spalding NBA All-Star 2013 commemorative “money ball” worth two points at each location. Each player will have one minute to shoot as many balls as he can. The competitor with the lower individual score from the Team Round will go first in the Championship Round.

-----

2012 NBA THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT

NBA.com reports: Kevin Love is the only winner of the Three-Point Contest whose three-point shooting is his second skill.
"At the end of the day," Love assured, in case anyone wondered, "I'm an inside guy. If I'm not drawing enough blood, I'm not doing my job." Well, at the end of Saturday at All-Star Weekend, his outside technique was confirmed and awarded. Love is the strangest of power forwards, someone who can change a game either in the paint or beyond the arc, someone who rebounds with abandon but also has the touch of a diamond-cutter from deep.
He had to survive two tiebreakers to do it. He beat the hometown favorite, Ryan Anderson; former three-point contest winner James Jones; Anthony Morrow, who wore a jersey honoring the late Drazen Petrovic; and then out-pointed Kevin Durant, a top-three NBA scorer. And he did this while bringing the lowest three-point percentage of all the contestants, which meant nothing on this night.
That's because, in a sense, Love has spent years preparing for this moment.
"When I came out of the draft, I was told that I shouldn't shoot 3s," said Love. "It was motivation for me. I always knew I could shoot it and I didn't think I had to stop, just because of my size or the position I played."

The AP reports: Love beat out Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant to win the 3-Point Shootout. The former UCLA star was consistent throughout, but had to survive a tiebreaker in the first round and sweat out the last few shots from Durant to pull out the 17-14 victory in the final. Love is in the middle for a breakout year for Minnesota, averaging 25 points and 9.9 rebounds a game. But he also has connected on 49 of 141 3-point attempts for the Timberwolves. “You know, I’m a guy that loves to rebound the ball, a guy that loves to play inside, really a physical player,” Love said. “But for me, coming into the league, I was told not to shoot 3-point shots, so to be where I am now and continue to work on my game; I think this definitely speaks to my versatility. I think I’ll just continue to improve year in and year out.”

The AP reports: Love was tied for third after the opening round of the Shootout and beat Miami’s Mario Chalmers 5-4 in a tiebreaker. Defending champion James Jones led all shooters in the opening round with 22 and Durant was next with 20. Orlando’s Ryan Anderson just missed eliminating both Love and Chalmers, totaling 17 after missing his final 2-point money ball. Love and Durant both had 16 in Round 2 to advance to the finals, with Jones posting 12.

NBA 3-POINT SHOOTOUT PREVIEW

Reigning champion James Jones of the Miami Heat
will defend his title in this year’s NBA Three-Point Shooting Contest, which
will be held on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Amway Center in Orlando as part of
NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Rounding out the field are All-Stars Joe
Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks and Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves,
Ryan Anderson of the hometown Orlando Magic, Anthony Morrow of the New
Jersey Nets, and Mario Chalmers of the Heat.

Last year, Jones bested a field that included the Boston Celtics’ Paul
Pierce and Ray Allen -- Pierce captured the NBA 3-point Shootout title in 2010, while Allen, the
2001 winner, is the career leader in three-pointers made. Jones' 20 points
in the final round topped Pierce's 18 and Allen’s 15. Previous winners
include: Jeff Hornacek, Jason Kapono, Mark Price and Peja Stojakovic who
won two titles each; while Larry Bird and Craig Hodges each captured three
straight.

The players will compete in the two-round competition with the top three
finishers from the first round advancing to the finals. Five shooting
stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four Official
Spalding NBA game balls worth one point each and one Spalding NBA All-Star
2012 commemorative “money ball” worth two points at each location. Each
player will have one minute to shoot as many balls as he can. In the final
round, players will shoot in ascending order of first-round scores. At the
discretion of the referee, television instant replay may be consulted for
clarification of rules compliance.

The 2012 NBA Three-Point shootout competition will be televised live nationally as
part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night.

As always, InsideHoops.com will preview the event, cover it live, and recap it.

Reigning champion Paul Pierce of the Boston
Celtics will defend his title in this year’s NBA Three-Point Shootout Contest, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Staples Center in Los
Angeles as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Rounding out the field are
All-Stars Ray Allen of the Celtics and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City
Thunder, Daniel Gibson of the Cleveland Cavaliers, James Jones of the Miami
Heat, and Dorell Wright of the Golden State Warriors. Allen won the contest
in 2001.

And when the smoked cleared, Heat G/F James Jones stepped up to win in convincing fashion. Here are a few quick notes from the event:

LIVE 2011 NBA 3-POINT SHOOTOUT BLOG

Paul Pierce, James Jones and Ray Allen made it to the finals of the 2011 NBA Three-point shootout.

Up first was Pierce, who was lukewarm to start, but hit the first two moneyballs, got hot up top but missed the last two, was solid on the fourth rack, and finished with 18 points.

Second was Jones, who started strong and got eight points from the first two racks, was great up top and kept nailing moneyballs, and rocked the final rack even with a moneyball miss, getting 20.

And finally, the defending champion, Ray Allen. He needs 21 or better to win. He didn't start hot, got ice cold at the second rack and had just four points after two locations, but smoked the top of the key shots to get up to 10, did not ever heat up and finished with a disappointing 15.

Congrats to James Jones of the Miami Heat, winning the 2011 NBA three-point shootout competition!

Pierce bested the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry in last year’s
contest, scoring 20 points in the final round to capture the title. Jeff
Hornacek, Jason Kapono, Mark Price and Peja Stojakovic each won two titles;
Larry Bird and Craig Hodges captured three straight.

The players will compete in the two-round competition with the top three
finishers from the first round advancing to the finals. Five shooting
stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four Official
Spalding NBA game balls worth one point each and one Spalding NBA All-Star
2011 commemorative red, white and blue “money ball” worth two points at
each location. Each player will have one minute to shoot as many balls as
he can. In the final round, players will shoot in ascending order of
first-round scores. At the discretion of the referee, television instant
replay may be consulted for clarification of rules compliance.

The NBA 3-Point Shootout Contest will be televised live nationally as
part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night, which will
also feature the Shooting Stars; Slam Dunk; and Skills Challenge. TNT and ESPN Radio’s national coverage will begin at 8
p.m. EST from Staples Center. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 20,
will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and will be
broadcast in more than 40 languages.

Following is a list of the year-by-year NBA three-point shooting contest winners:

The AP reports: Paul Pierce won the 3-Point Shootout, proving his lackluster performance the last time he was in the competition was an aberration. “I worked on it, I really took pride in it. In ’02 I stunk it up. I wanted to come in here and put on a show,” Pierce said. “I had to work on getting the technique down and knowing what side to pull the ball from, stuff like that. I knew if I got hot I could win it.” Pierce had 20 points in the final round, making all five of the 2-point money balls, to beat Golden State’s Stephen Curry (17) and Denver’s Chauncey Billups (14).

PAUL PIERCE INTERVIEW AFTER WINNING 2010 NBA THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT

Question: The players said right from the beginning: Paul Pierce is talking, his mouth is going, and you backed it, you talked the talk, and backed it.

Paul Pierce: You know, like I said early on, I worked on it. I really took pride on it from '02 when I came in and stunk it up. This is something I really wanted to do and really wanted to show everybody that I put on a better performance and what better way than by bringing home the trophy.

Question: When did you get the time to work on this?

Paul Pierce: At the practice. A lot of times like going to the gym at night, a lot of times I get there early before practice, you know, when nobody is in the gym.
I really couldn't practice -- well, because we don't have five ball racks. But the key was just getting the technique of pulling the ball off the rack and the shooting of the ball, because it's a lot different from when you get the ball from a pass and shoot it.
So that was the key, just getting the technique down, knowing which side of the rack I wanted to pull the ball from and just taking my time and getting the rhythm. And like I said, if I get hot, there's a chance I can win it.

Question: Can you talk about the support of KG and Rondo?

Paul Pierce: That's big. Support means everything, and we are that type of team that supports each other in anything we do, whether it's on the court or off the court. And just having KG over there yelling at me and Rondo on the sidelines. That was big for me. That gave me an extra boost of confidence.

Question: Did any of the other competitors worry you at all? Any fear?

Paul Pierce: They are all such great shooters. They all shoot the ball really well. Not really; my thing was trying to get in their heads on the sidelines. I was over there talking to them, playing with them and unlacing their shoelaces and throwing the ball off the rack. I was doing anything to try to get an edge, and it seemed to work.

Question: You were 8-for-10 with the Money Ball, any explanation for being clutch like that?

Paul Pierce: Hey, it's just like being a fourth quarter player. When you need it, those are the biggest shots. I think I've been known to hit big shots throughout my career, and even the biggest ones when I didn't shoot the one balls really well, I really focused on really making the Money Ball. And that was something that I think carried me throughout the competition.

Question: Talk about the joke where you untied someone's shoeslaces.

Paul Pierce: I was playing with Stephen Curry right there in the finals and I kind of unzipped his Velcro laces for a second.
It's fine. We were over there having fun on the sideline talking and just being around the guys. That's what All-Star is all about, enjoying the camaraderie, a little bit of competition, All-Star Game, Shootout and Dunk Contest. But I really take this serious, apart from all of the fun, I really took this serious and I was glad I was able to come away with the win.

Question: Is it true that you were working on Daequan Cook the day before? And also, that's a big statement, best shooter in the NBA history --

Paul Pierce: I would say one of the best. I've always said this and I tell this to guys on my team. I said throughout my career, I've always been known as a pure scorer, and always said, if I just sat outside and shot threes, and just really focused on that, come off screens and spot up the three and shot six or seven threes a game, I would be probably more known for one of great shooters in the NBA history.
I take the opportunity threes, and I think I'm one of the better shooters; and I've proved that I think this year with my percentage and the way I'm shooting the ball.

Question: You were very energized by this and pumped up. Why does this mean so much to you?

Paul Pierce: I take pride in competition. Like I said, back in '02 when I really didn't do well in it and the way I've been practicing and shooting well this year, I was like, this is a great opportunity for me to come out here and redeem myself.
This was just -- it was all set up. It was set up and I had a chance to do it again and that's all I needed. All I needed was another chance. I didn't get invited for seven years, seven, eight years, I never get invited again and this was the opportunity where I got invited and I took advantage of it this time.

Question: Any significance in the fact that you win as a Boston Celtic and this was really the birthplace of the Three-Point Contest back in 1986 when Larry Bird won it?

Paul Pierce: This where he won it? Oh, wow. So history -- they say history always repeats itself, and it did tonight. The stars were lined up I guess.

Question: How did your foot feel during the competition?

Paul Pierce: It felt good. You know, I really didn't think about it. It's getting better these last few days with rest it's really feeling good. Probably won't play too much tomorrow in the All-Star Game, get a chance to rest and get some treatment for the next couple of days until we start our road trip in Sacramento on Tuesday.

Question: Can you talk about some of the work you constantly put in -- you go into the gym and you're the only guy in there. A lot of guys don't understand the work you put in in the off-season, but also during the regular season.

Paul Pierce: I put so much work into it and that's the stuff that people don't really see. A lot of times we have a 10:00 practice and a lot of times I'm in there at 8:15 shooting, lifting weights. On game days we don't have to be to the arena until 5:00, but I get to the practice gym at 9:30 in the morning, and I put the work in.
People don't understand it's the work and preparation that you have to put in to be one of the best and to be able to accomplish what you want to accomplish on the court; and I've been able to show in my career that consistency, but that's always through the hard work.

Question: Can you just take me through what went through your mind when you were watching Stephen Curry shoot that final round?

Paul Pierce: You know, he started off so good, and I was like, man, you know, the people behind were like, you don't have a chance. He made his first four out of five. Next rack, he was good; he had nine going into the center rack, and he even shot a ball, and I was like, wow, he's going to get fired. And then he got cold and missed a couple money balls.
Once he got to the last rack, I see that he had a chance to tie it, I think in the last rack, and once he missed one shot, I knew I had the game.
But he's going to be a great shooter. I mean, his dad was a great shooter and he has good mechanics and I wouldn't be surprised to see him win this competition next year or the year after.
But this year was my time (smiling).

Question: Was it unusual or strange to have to get used to shooting from a rack? Because usually you lean forward when you shoot a three to kind of will it in. Was it unusual to kind of keep going?

Paul Pierce: That's why I worked on it. It's definitely different. Like I said, from catching a pass, you're used to catching it up here or down here. And you know, when you pull from a rack, sometimes the ball gets stuck or the balls don't come up, so you have to get used to that motion of grabbing down from the rack and shooting the ball, and that's something I worked on.
That's a whole different shot, but you've got to work on it. In 2002 when I did it, I didn't practice at all. I thought I would come out here and wing it, and obviously that didn't work.

Question: Can this weekend, hanging with the guys, help for the second half of the regular season? You guys seemed like you needed a break after the slow ending to the first half.

Paul Pierce: I think it definitely could help, brush off that first half, we were disappointed -- really disappointed with the way we played, finished off the first half the season.
But we always look at the season in the three parts: You have the first half, the second half and the playoffs. So this is a chance to refresh ourselves. We have a big road trip coming up where we can get back on track and get some healthy bodies and hopefully get on the road to the playoffs.

Question: Where does this rank for you in terms of winning a championship of any type?

Paul Pierce: It's not up there like winning a championship, but there's definitely some pride in going out there and being in the competition. And this is like one of those things where I wanted to win because of what I did in '02. And I take pride in every competition, whether it's basketball, shooting, checkers, chess, this is something that if I'm going in, I might as well try to win. It's something that's more hardware for the trophy case.

----------

NBA THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT PREVIEW

2010 All-Stars Chauncey Billups of the Denver Nuggets and Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics headline a field of six in this year’s NBA Three-Point Shootout, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 13, at American Airlines Center in Dallas as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Reigning champion Daequan Cook of the Miami Heat returns in an attempt to become the sixth player to capture consecutive titles.

Rounding out the field are Rookie Challenge invitees Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Danilo Gallinari of the New York Knicks, and the Phoenix Suns’ Channing Frye.

Cook bested the Orlando Magic’s Rashard Lewis in last year’s contest, scoring 19 points in an overtime round to walk away with the title. Mark Price, Jeff Hornacek, Jason Kapono and Peja Stojakovic each won two titles; Larry Bird and Craig Hodges captured three straight.

Dallas hosted the inaugural NBA Three-Point shootout event in 1986, which was held in Reunion Arena, with Bird defeating Hodges in the final round.

The players will compete in the two-round competition with the top three finishers from the first round advancing to the finals. Five shooting stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four basketballs worth one point each and one “money ball” worth two points at each location. Each player will have one minute to shoot as many balls as he can. In the final round, players will shoot in ascending order of first-round scores. At the discretion of the referee, television instant replay may be consulted for clarification of rules compliance.

The NBA 3-Point Shootout will be televised live nationally as part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night, which will also feature the Slam Dunk, Skills Challenge, and Shooting Stars competitions. TNT and ESPN Radio’s national coverage will begin at 8 p.m. EST from American Airlines Center. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 14, will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and will be broadcast in more than 40 languages.

Miami Heat guard Daequan Cook won the 2009 NBA three-point shooting competition, beating Rashard Lewis in a shootout. Cook, Lewis and former champion Jason Kapono reached the three-point shootout finals, but Lewis and Cook tied with 15 points each in the second and last round, forcing an extra, tie-breaking round.

Below are live NBA three-point shootout contest notes, taken as the event happened:

The 2009 NBA three-point shootout is set to begin, with Rashard Lewis, Mike Bibby, Daequan Cook, Danny Granger, Roger Mason and two-time champion Jason Kapono.
Rashard lewis was up first, and struggled early, hitting just one, then two, all five middle rack shots, four on the rack, and did well at the end for a very respectable 17 points.
Mike Bibby went second, hitting three from the first rack, just two, including a banked-in moneyball in the second, all five from up top, just one on the fourth rack and just one on the fifth for 14 total points.

Daequan Cook went third, struggled on the first rack but got smoking hot on racks two and three, but managed to nail four moneyballs for 18 points, best so far of the three shooters.

Danny Granger is up, wearing cool yellow sneakers, was sleepy early on, hit four from the top, missed every shot from the fourth rack, and didn't get the final shot of the final rack off in time -- though it missed anyway -- to finish with an unimpressive 13.

Roger mason started badly, and unlike the other shooters was totally awful from up top. But got slightly better, then hot on the last rack, finishing with
Jason Kapono, the clear favorite, started OK, but struggled in the second rack, nailed all five from the top, nailed three including the moneyball on the fourth, and finished with an acceptable 16.
NBA three-point shootout final round: Kapono, Lewis and Cook:

Kapono went first, and was ok to start, very decent from the second rack, decent from up top, very good from the fourth, but awful at the fifth
. He only hit one moneyball, which really killed him. Kapono finished with a mere 14 points.
Lewis went second, struggled early, was awful in the second rack, getting a total of just two points on the first two racks, hit four (but no moneyball) up top, hit three with a moneyball at the fourth, and hit four of the five shots, including a moneyball, on the last rack, to finish with 15.
Cook went third, started very badly with just three points after the first two racks, heated up a bit up top, stayed slightly hot on the fourth rack, missed the first shot of the last rack but hit the final four, to tie Lewis with 15.
So, we have a one-minute shootout for the 2009 three-point shootout championship.
Lewis went first, missing every single shot of the first two racks, hitting a couple up top for just four points so far after three racks, bricked like crazy on the fourth rack though connecting on the moneyball, and continuing to be awful at the end, finishing with a pathetically bad 7 points.

Cook has a golden opportunity to win the three-point shootout championship. He started decently, hitting three on the first rack, then got smoking hot and hit four, including the moneyball on the second, winning the competition before even reaching the top of the key. He continued to rip the net the whole way through, winning easily.

Congrats to Daequan Cook, the 2009 NBA three-point shootout winner.

NBA Three-Point Shootout Preview

The Toronto Raptors’ Jason Kapono will seek to become the third player to capture three consecutive titles in this year’s NBA Three-Point Shootout competition, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 14, at US Airways Center, as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night.

Kapono, who tied Craig Hodges for most points in a single round (25 in the final round last year), will look to join Hodges (1990-92) and Hall of Famer Larry Bird (1986-88) as the only three-time winners of the event. Mark Price, Peja Stojakovic and Jeff Hornacek each won two titles.

Kapono will be joined by Eastern Conference All-Star reserves Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers and Rashard Lewis of the Orlando Magic, Mike Bibby of the Atlanta Hawks, Roger Mason of the San Antonio Spurs and Daequan Cook of the Miami Heat.

The players will compete in the two-round competition with the top three finishers from the first round advancing to the finals. Five shooting stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four Official NBA game balls worth one point each and one NBA All-Star 2009 commemorative purple and orange colored “money ball” worth two points at each location.

Each player will have one minute to shoot as many balls as he can. In the final round, players will shoot in ascending order of first-round scores. At the discretion of the referee, television instant replay may be consulted for clarification of rules compliance.

It’s 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend, Saturday night, and we’re up to the NBA Three-Point Shootout. Jason Kapono won it last year. Scroll down for a preview/overview of the whole event. And now, live game notes, unedited, taken as the event happened:

Richard Hamilton is up first. He hit 2 shots on the first rack, 4 on the second, 3 on the third, 3 on the fourth, and 4 on the last — but two of his last-rack shots were discounted by the refs because Rip stepped on the line. Hamilton actually shot well but did not hit a single money-ball except on the very last rack, but that shot was one of the shots discounted by the refs. Rip’s final score wound up being 14.

Daniel Gibson went second, and started from the nontraditional left side. He struggled early, but then picked things up. Gibson hit 1 shot on the first rack, 4 shots (including a money-ball) on the second rack, 3 shots (including a money-ball) on the third rack, 3 shots on the fourth rack, and 3 shots (including a money-ball) on the last rack, getting 17.

Steve Nash went third, also starting from the left side, and was awful from start to finish, getting a pathetic 9 points. They should have let InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner shoot.

Dirk Nowitzki was next, continuing the new tradition of starting from the left side. He shot a very long, slow, high-arc release which wasn’t very fitting for this competition. After a slow start he picked it up, and on the five racks he hit 1, 5, 3, 3 and 3 shots, with money-balls on the second and fourth racks. Dirk finished with 17.

Next is Peja Stojakovic, starting from the right side. He hit just one shot in the first rack and his first money-ball attempt hit the side of the backboard. His struggles continued until he got to the top of the key, which he rocked. And then stepped up on the last rack. In the five shooting areas Peja hit 1, 2, 3, 3 and 4 shots, with money-balls on the third and fourth racks. He got 15 points.

InsideHoops.com is the best pro basketball website ever, by the way. Just a reminder.

Last up is defending three-point champion Jason Kapono, who starts from the left side. He is shooting very quickly and did well all-around, though missing the money-balls, but rocked in the end when he needed it. From the five racks he hit 2, 4, 3, 4 and 5 shots, with money-balls on the second and fifth racks. Kapono finished with an awesome 20 points.

Reaching the second and final round is Kapono, Dirk and Gibson.

Starting first is Gibson, shooting very quickly, picking up steam halfway through and again at the end. The money-ball saved him. In the five racks he hit 2, 2, 3, 2 and 4 shots with money-balls on the first, third, fourth and fifth racks, finishing with 17.

Nowitzki is up second, high arc and all, and did decently but struggled with money-balls. In the five racks he hit 1, 4, 2, 3 and 3 shots, with just one money-ball, the very last shot. He got 14 points.

Kapono must beat 17 to win it. And unleashed one of the best performances ever, hitting every single money-ball, and on the five racks making 3, 5, 4, 4 and 4 shots, finishing with an awesome 24 points.

As always, this was a fun competition.

Kapono repeats as the three-point shootout champion.

PREVIEW: NBA 3-POINT SHOOTOUT CONTEST
Feb. 15, 2008

The Toronto Raptors’ Jason Kapono will defend his title in this year’s NBA Three-Point Shootout, which will be held
on Saturday, Feb. 16, at New Orleans Arena as part of NBA All-Star Weekend Saturday Night.

Kapono will attempt to become the first back-to-back winner of the NBA Three-Point Shootout since Peja Stojakovic won the 2002 and 2003
titles. Stojakovic will return to the competition representing the
hometown New Orleans Hornets for the first time since finishing as
runner-up in the 2004 competition. Stojakovic and Kapono will be joined by
Western Conference starter and 10-time All-Star Kobe Bryant of the Los
Angeles Lakers, Daniel Gibson of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Richard Hamilton
of the Detroit Pistons and two-time MVP Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns.

The players will compete in the two-round competition with the top three
finishers from the first round advancing to the finals. Five shooting
stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four Official
Spalding NBA game balls worth one point each and one Spalding NBA All-Star
2008 commemorative teal and gold colored “money ball” worth two points at
each location. Each player will have one minute to shoot as many balls as
he can. In the final round, players will shoot in ascending order of
first-round scores. At the discretion of the referee, television instant
replay may be consulted for clarification of rules compliance.

Jason Kapono went first, hitting just one in the first rack, four including the moneyball in the second rack, perfect up top, three shots but no moneyball in the fourth rack, and just two on teh final the final rack, finishing with 19.

Mike Miller went second, hitting just the moneyball in the first rack, three in the second rack, three including the moneyball up top, three including the moneyball on the fourth rack, and four including the moneyball on the final rack, getting 18.

Next up is Jason Terry, starting from the left corner. He fired quickly, hitting two in the first rack, only the moneyball in teh second rack, three up top, only the moneyball in the fourth rack, and on the final rack he actually threw up an airball in the process of missing all five shots, finishing with an awful 10. Let it be said that I, InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner, also could have gotten 10.

Damon Jones is fourth, starting from the left. He hit four, including the moneyball on the first rack, two including the moneyball on the second rack, three up top, just one on the fourth rack, and just two on the final rack, finishing with 15. He appeared to steadily tire during the shooting.

Gilbert Arenas is next, starting on the left side. He hit two including the moneyball on the first rack, all five shots on teh second rack, three including the moneyball up top, three including the moneyball on the fourth rack and several including the moneyball on the final. Gil Zero finished with 23, the best so far.

Defending champion Dirk Nowitzki went last, starting on the left side. He hit two including the moneyball on the first rack, had 8 by the second rack, 12 after the third, 17 after the fourth, and finished with 20.

Kapono went first, starting from the left side. He had 4 (with the moneyball) after the first rack, 8 (moneyball) after the second, 13 (moneyball) after the third, 19 (moneyball) after the fourth and finished with a fantastic 24, tying the all-time 3-point shootout finals record. Kapono nailed all five moneyballs.

It's all about the moneyball, baby.

Dirk went second, starting from the left. He had 3 (with moneyball) after the first rack, 6 after the second, missed all five shots on the third rack, had just 8 after the fourth, and had a final score of just 10. He pretty much lost focus early on after realizing he wasn't beating Kapono. Dirk also stepped over the line a few times during shots.

Gilbert went last, and was off right away, finishing with 2 (moneyball) after the first rack, 6 (moneyball) after the second, 9 after the third -- Kapono's going to win -- 14 after the fourth (didn't see if he hit the moneyball) and for the fun of it started shooting one-handed in the final rack, finishing with 17. At least Gil Zero brought something extra, even nailing that final moneyball with one hand.

Nowitzki, who will make his sixth NBA All-Star appearance this year, won last year’s closely contested event in Houston. He aims to become the first back-to-back winner since Peja Stojakovic, winner of the competition in 2002 and 2003. The seven-footer will face 2006 runner-up and Eastern Conference All-Star starter Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Damon Jones, Miami Heat forward and the NBA’s leader in three-point shooting percentage Jason Kapono, Memphis forward Mike Miller, as well as Nowitzki’s Dallas teammate, Jason Terry.

NBA 3-POINT SHOOTOUT RULES

The players will compete in the two-round competition with the top three finishers from the first round advancing to the finals. Five shooting stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four orange balls worth one point each and one multi-colored ball (money ball) worth two points at each location. Each player will have one minute to shoot as many balls as he can. In the final round, players will shoot in ascending order of first round scores. At the discretion of the referee, television instant replay may be consulted for clarification of rules compliance.

The NBA Three-Point Shootout contest will be televised live nationally as part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night. TNT and ESPN Radio’s national coverage will begin at 8 p.m. ET from Thomas & Mack Center. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 18, will air live from Thomas & Mack Center on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.